by Sri Sandip Dasgupta
Welcome to the Saraswati Puja edition of our online magazine. This is the auspicious day on which our Master, Sri Sri Babathakur had chosen to take on the body that we all have seen, and one that has showered the light of Oneness on us. On November 8, 1994, Sri Sri Babathakur had delivered a spontaneous lecture on the topic of Jnanayoga in Bengali. Saccidananda Society has published this lecture in the form of a CD which has enabled mortals like us to get a chance to listen to his discourses as we drive to and from work. In this lecture, Sri Sri Babathakur narrates a very interesting episode between Him (in a previous incarnation) and a devotee. In this issue, I’ve have chosen to attempt to transcribe this episode for the benefit of those who do not know Bengali or else, may not have listened to the CD. Please note that Saccidananda Society, Kolkata owns the copyright for all these materials.
Once upon a time, a devotee (bhakta) who was in search of the Lord did a lot of Tapasya and eventually found the Lord (in the form of the Master, in a previous incarnation). During the meeting, the devotee questioned Him on various topics. Sri Sri Babathakur systematically answered these questions to clear the devotee’s conception of the Lord. I am sure that many of you too must have occasionally had the following questions cross your mind. Hopefully the answers provided by the Master to these questions will assist you in your daily life.
The questions posed were:
1.
Why did you create this Universe?
2.
Why have you filled this world with miseries?
3.
Some people work so hard and do Tapasya, yet
they are not able to reach the Lord. Yet, some people reach the Lord so easily,
without doing any Tapasya.
4.
How did you become the Lord?
5.
Why can’t somebody else become the Lord?
And the answers given
were:
Q1: Why did you create the universe?
A1: By creating this universe, I am giving a chance to all of you to make efforts to reach Me, through your actions, thoughts, Tapasya etc. There are millions of Avyaktas (who have not yet manifest themselves as human beings) who do not have this opportunity to know about the Lord, experience the Lord, and get merged into the Lord.
Q2: Why have you filled this world with miseries?
A2: Sri Sri Babathakur begins his reply by asking the devotee if he experiences sorrow during both the sleeping and the waking states. The devotee replies that he does not experience sorrow while sleeping. The Master points out that for something to be Real, it has to exist all the time – so by definition sorrow is not real. He further explains that sorrow is an imagination of the mind. What one individual may think of as unhappiness may not be classified the same by another individual – because sorrow is relative. The Master further asks the devotee what he does when he experiences sorrow. The devotee replies that he cries. The Master counters by asking him if he is feeling sad at this very moment. The devotee tries a lot to cry but is unsuccessful – thus proving that unhappiness (dukkha) is relative and not permanent. Eventually, the devotee decides to withdraw this question, as he gets convinced that the unhappiness in life has not been created by the Lord, but by the imagination of the mind.
Q3: Why do some people obtain the Lord easily, while others spend tons of time seeking the Lord throughout their lives?
Before answering this question directly, the Master asks the devotee about his age, whether he had any siblings who were younger than him and any that were older to him? The devotee innocently discloses his age and indicates that he has both younger and elder siblings. The Master then asks the devotee if he can shrink himself back to the age of his younger sibling. He also asks him whether he can leap forward to the age of his elder sibling. The devotee answers both questions in the negative. The Master then explains that every individual has to gradually grow up in life in steps. Similarly, in spiritual growth, the individual gradually moves towards attaining the Lord. An individual who has already done a lot of Tapasya and good Karmas is closer to attaining the Lord – whereas the individual who is at a lower stage has a long way to go.
Q4: How did you become the Lord?
A4: By giving up everything in life to the giver (Lord Himself). By living in the Mahashunya.
Q5: Why can’t somebody else become the Lord?
A5: Of course you can! But you have to give up everything – your possessions, actions, results to the Lord. Instead we keep asking the Lord for more objects, more money, more desires etc. These cause more bondage, sufferings and sorrow. The Master says that instead, we should give up everything we have received from the Lord (our body, our house, our feelings etc.) and function as the instrument of the Lord. The ground has to be ready for the Lord to reveal within us. The ground can be ready when we transform our pranam (Nama) to Na-Mama (nothing is mine). Once we give up our individuality, the Lord will reveal Himself to us. If the ground is not ready, then the arrival of Brahma, Vishnu and Maheshwar together as our Guru, shall be fruitless. We have to begin by accepting the Absolute Oneness, just like a little child knows nothing but his parents. Without any inhibitions, the child is always ready to jump on their lap (no matter how dirty he maybe). Similarly, we need to accept the One Lord as our Guru and surrender everything to the Lord – this will enable the ground to be ready for the Lord to reveal Himself within us. We will be able to live life in Sama Bodha. This is the main theme of Jnanayoga.
So, on this auspicious occasion, can we pledge to rededicate ourselves to the Lord, our Guru and keep our doors and windows open to receive the Light of Oneness?
Joy Babathakur, Joy Babathakur, Joy Babathakur!
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